Soaring Eagle could head online

The Soaring Eagle Casino could be adding an online component soon, according to a press release from one of the Mt. Pleasant casino’s vendors.

Australia-based Aristocrat Technologies says it will develop a new online casino site for the casino owned and operated by the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe.

Aristrocrat Technologies already provides the Soaring Eagle’s casino management system, called Oasis 360, the system that monitors all 4,200 of the casino’s electronic gaming devices. The company’s statement said the virtual casino “will be integrated with the land-based casino via Aristocrat’s exclusive nLiveLink technology, which interacts seamlessly with (the existing system) to provide partners with a reliable, turnkey online solution.”

What’s not clear is whether visitors to the proposed online Soaring Eagle Casino site will be able place real wagers, at least at first. The release calls it a “play for fun” casino.

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Soaring Eagle and Tribal officials did not immediately return telephone calls seeking comment, but the vendor’s press release quoted Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort Director of Marketing and Entertainment Raul Venegas as saying, “as we embrace new technology and prepare for the next phase of our business ventures, we are very happy to have Aristocrat working side by side with us.”

Experts say online gaming with real bets for real payoffs is something of a legal gray area. Congress attempted to outlaw it in 2006, and no online casinos operate from U.S. soil.

But other jurisdictions have made it legal, and anyone with an Internet connection can find an online casino operating from places such as Australia or Mauritania. U.S. prosecution of players who gamble online are exceedingly rare.

A coalition of Native American Tribes last year asked Congress to update the laws and regulations governing Indian-owned casinos to also govern online gaming as well as bricks-and-mortar casinos. So far, however, no action has been taken.

Aristocrat Technologies said in its announcement that the Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort site would be the fourth to be powered by Aristocrat’s nLive system, and the largest site built for a Tribal partner.

“We are thrilled that Soaring Eagle Casino & Resort has chosen to expand their relationship with us in the online space,” Aristocrat Vice President of System Sales and Marketing Kelly Shaw said in a statement. “We are thrilled that Soaring Eagle trusts us to take their incredible brand online.”

The gaming equipment company said the online casino would carry the Soaring Eagle brand. It would offer virtual versions of electronic games, as well as electronic versions of table games like card keno, hi lo solitaire, jacks or better, pro blackjack and roulette.

Even if players don’t wager real dollars online at first, the company said the casino would be able to enroll club members online, and the players would be able to check their balances through the online casino.

From a marketing standpoint, the software will give the Soaring Eagle the power to analyze players’ land-based and online activity and target players with customized offers. Aristocrat said the casino could learn about what their customers do in the virtual casino, and see how that corresponds to what the same players do in the actual, real-world casino.

The Soaring Eagle is one of 286 casinos across North America that uses Aristocrat’s Oasis 360 system, the company said.

Mark Ranzenberger is online editor of TheMorningSun.com. He can be reached at mranzenberger@michigannewspapers.com.